Switched Stories
by Reina-183
Summary: AU. KuroFai, SyaoSaku. It's the same Tsubasa, with the same characters, but with an extraordinary switch. Can changing just a few people around change destiny?
1. Chapter 1

The sun was just beginning to set as Kurogane gruffly opened the door to his small desert house and removed his cloak. He closed the door and locked it, though CLow Country did not really have any thieves, it was a habit drilled into him from memories of countries much less peaceful.

Irritably, he shook the sand out of his hair and off his clothes with a grumble. A picture of his adopted father, Fujitaka, stared up at him and he cringed, hating the way his heart crumbled in his chest. The light of the setting sun caused a garish glare, so bright that he could not see the actual image, but he knew it by heart.

His adopted father was ruffling his hair while Kurogane swatted at the long fingers, his annoyance betrayed by a wide smile. It had been his father's dream to excavate the ruins, and now that he was gone Kurogane worked every day to accomplish that goal, hoping in some way that he could pay he could repay the man who had done so much for him.

"Kuro-wan" Kurogane turned quickly, accidentally bashing his arm against the table on which the picture sat. He reached out to try and grab it, but he wasn't quite quick enough and the frame fell to the floor with a large crack.

The glass shattered and the wooden frame cracked, leaving it ruined. It was the frame Fujitaka had given him. It was his only remaining picture of his father, and that idiot just had to come along and ruin it!

"You idiot!" Kurogane roared, glaring at the prince of his country, who was currently dangling halfway through one of the circular windows, chin resting on his arms.

"Oops! Kuro-tan shouldn't be so clumsy!" He wiggled the rest of the way through and grabbed a cloth to carefully gather the pieces together. "I'll by Kuro-pyon a new one tomorrow," he said, smiling up at his childhood friend.

Kurogane took a deep breath and released it slowly, trying to will his anger away along with the exhaled air. It was a technique Yukito, the kingdom's priest had shown him when he'd first arrived and was caught trying to throttle Fay (the little punk had called him 'Kuro-sama' upon their first meeting like it was the most natural thing in the world.)

That technique, mixed with the smile Fay gave him, the one that seemed reserved especially for him, fragile and sincere and totally unlike the fake ones he gave the courtiers and other guests, calmed him enough so that he didn't have the urge to kill pounding through his veins.

Nothing could stop him from being angry and just a little hurt though.

"Get out." He pushed Fay towards the door and slammed it shut after him, locking both it and the windows and ignoring the calls of Kuro-pi and wounded hyuus. He turned towards the broken glass and sighed, a surprisingly emasculate thing for him to do.

"Whatever," he'd deal with the broken glass and prince tomorrow.

After all, in the seven years since he'd come to this country, Fay had managed to weasel his way past Kurogane's defenses and settle himself comfortably in a spot somewhere between 'best friend' and a category Kurogane didn't want to touch yet, because it made his heart pound and his 15 year old body tingle.

Kurogane entered his small room, changed his clothes, and quickly fell asleep.

He awoke later that night to the sounds of somebody tiptoeing around his kitchen rather noisily (they'd bumped into the pots and pans and were cursing rather loudly at the moment.) Rolling his eyes, Kurogane got up and silently slipped out of the bedroom and into the small, functional kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" He asked the prince, who spun around guiltily, a finger stuck in his mouth as he sorted through Kurogane's belongings, apparently searching for something.

A jerk rushed through Kurogane's body as he saw Fay's finger in his mouth, though he didn't know why, and suddenly he felt extremely vulnerable standing there in nothing but his ratty sleeping pants. Fay paused too, his eyes traveling over Kurogane's chest in apparent fascination and a light pink color shading his cheeks.

"Maa, Kuro-sama," Fay popped his finger out of his mouth. "I came over early to clean the glass." A bit of blood streamed down his finger tip and Kurogane resisted the urge to rant, instead crossing his arms and pulling the first aid kit out of the cupboard over the oven.

"Come here," he told the blond prince, motioning over to the kitchen table.

Fay was silent as Kurogane wrapped his finger, though Kurogane wasn't as surprised as he would have been four years ago. Behind Fay's cheeriness lingered a startlingly intelligent mind and a seriousness that bordered on apathy.

"Hey, Kuro-sama," Fay's eyes were covering his hair. "I'm sorry about yesterday. Next time I'll knock."

"Che," Kurogane grumbled, trying to hide his blush. "It's fine."

Fay gave him a blinding smile before leaning forward, so far that Kurogane could feel Fay's breath on his face. "Kuro-nin, I want to tell you something."

Kurogane was aware that he was still holding on to Fay's hand, even though he was finished wrapping it. Their fingers had intertwined somehow; Fay's hands were cool and dry.

"W-what?" Kurogane asked, leaning forward and tilting his head slightly, so that his lips were almost touching Fay's.

"I really li-" Fay was cut off when the door swung open to reveal Fay's older brother, King Touya. He looked quite angry, even with Prince Yukito resting a calming hand on one arm.

"Why. Are. You. Out. So. Late. Fay?" Fay squeaked and he and Kurogane jumped apart quickly, both of them as red as tomatoes. Touya grabbed his younger brother by the ear and twisted it painfully, earning a yelp from the younger prince.

Then the king saw Fay's finger. "Brat," he snarled, turning towards Kurogane with eyes full of venom. He looked like one of the deadly snakes that slithered through the desert, hunting down its prey. "I should behead you for this! Feel lucky that I am such a _kind _and _compassionate _ruler, brat."

The king spat his words out like acid and left, dragging Fay with him. His friend smiled at him cheerily and waved before the door slammed shut behind him.

Was he going to say _I really like you?_ Kurogane wondered, before shaking the thought off and stretching. That night he tried to go to sleep, but he kept tossing and turning restlessly, wondering how Fay would have finished his sentence and wondering why his heart was beating so heavily in his chest.

…………

Yukito waited patiently as Touya locked every single one of the thirty two assorted locks he had on Fay's door to keep him from sneaking out after curfew. Yukito laughed to himself, imagining what his 'friend' would say if he knew Fay had mastered climbing off the balcony and down the stone wall years ago. He wouldn't tell though. Fay deserved a bit of freedom, especially after everything that had happened with his twin.

Yukito tried to force his thoughts away from that moment, away from how, after everything had happened, the first one to get him to smile again hadn't been himself or Touya, it had been a raggedy traveling boy with red eyes and a temper problem.

"You can't keep them apart, you know," Yukito informed his king, a small smile on his face.

"I know, 'it's been preordained,'" Touya muttered, rolling his eyes. "I can't help it though. After mom lost her first child, we all thought she'd never live again." Touya's eyes were distant with remembrance. "Then she had those twins, and it was like she could finally die happy."

"Plus, I should have been able to protect Fay. Back then I wasn't strong enough, and I thought I'd lost them both when Yuui looked at me that way."

Touya plopped down onto his throne with none of the grace his position as king commanded, free to be himself with his childhood friend. Yukito sat across from him a comforting, kind look on his face.

"My king—Touya," he corrected himself when Touya glared at him, "we'll just have to trust that he's the one; the one who can save him. I see that they have lots of troubles ahead of them, and Fay's power is a power that will change the world in great and terrible ways."

………..

Fay smiled out at the stars from his position leaning out over the balcony. He wondered if it would be safe to go visit his precious Kuro-myon again. His heard ached for it… As well as other parts of his body. He could just imagine it, the dream he'd been harboring when a blushing Touya had sat him down on his thirteenth birthday and given him the painfully embarrassing but extremely useful 'talk.'

He would admit his feelings to Kurogane in the privacy of of Kurogane's quaint home. Kurogane would huff and then he lean forward and capture Fay's lips in a powerful kiss… And then…

Fay's grin looked rather predatory at that point, so he chose instead to stare out over the kingdom. It was an incredibly peaceful night; the stars were out and shining merrily, all the houses were darkened, their inhabitants sleeping peacefully.

His vision turned to the ruins, which seemed to be surrounded by a heavenly glow. Fay narrowed his eyes, slightly suspicious as he'd never seen them that way before. They seemed to leak power, the kind that made Fay want to fall to his knees.

Then Fay heard it. It was a pretty, relaxing sound that willed him to slide to the ground and release control of himself, allow himself to be carried. It sounded like it was coming from the ruins.

"It's calling me," and Fay dazed out, hypnotized by the relaxing sound, his body floating towards the ruins.

His memories flashed in front of his eyes. He could see the ruins, and a pattern like nothing else he'd seen before. And then there was Kurogane, growling and reaching out to him with a particularly embarrassed look on his face.

"Kuro-tan," Fay gazed around him. He was back on his feet, standing out over the balcony.

"I must be dreaming," he whispered worryingly, gazing around. "I should probably go to sleep."

As he walked back to his room, the ruins seemed to pulse with power.

………….

It was almost noon the next day when Kurogane saw it, a mysterious pattern in the ruins that he could liken to a pair of wings. He'd never seen anything else like it in Clow Country, or in any of the other countries he'd traveled to.

"Kuro-pu!" Kurogane rolled his eyes as Fay launched himself forward, enveloping the poor archeologist in a huge hug and hanging off his neck. Even though Fay had always been tall for his age, he was a head shorter than Kurogane, something Fay had seemed relatively annoyed with in his youth.

Grumbling as the boy nuzzled him (and holy shit Fay's lips just brushed over his collarbone!) he tried to push the other boy away. "Oi, the ground's not stable enough for this!" He complained, barely managing to pry the other boy off.

"I made Kuro-sama lunch—" Fay stopped abruptly as his eyes gazed down into the ruin. "I saw this." He said. " I saw it yesterday."

Fay dropped the lunch he had so carefully made and walked towards the ruins like a marionette propelled on invisible strings. Kurogane raced after him, trying to catch his sleeve, but it was like some unknown force was holding him back.

And then the symbol, the strange on Kurogane hadn't been able to place, opened underneath Fay's feet, and he sunk down, out of Kurogane's sight.

"Fay!" That idiot!

The earth trembled beneath him, and Kurogane lost his footing and had to scramble back to his feet.

Fay was raised against a pattern that looked exactly like the one on the ground, except it was black.

His eyes were muted and dull, as if there was no-one there anymore. There was no annoying boy to climb through his windows and smile at him, no energetic boy to run through the sand with, no caring boy to bring him lunch out at the ruins.

Kurogane ran to the wall and started to climb, desperate to get to the boy he loved with all of his heart. He wouldn't let Fay leave him, wouldn't let Fay do something so selfish!

Wings of glowing white suddenly sprouted from Fay's shoulders, and his head flopped forward listlessly. The wings curled around him, and just as it looked like he was going to fly away, Kurogane lunged, grabbing him around the waist and slamming them both down onto the ground.

He turned the limp Fay over in his grasp and shook him, screaming his name, but Fay didn't seem able to hear him. The wings on his back cracked and burst into feathers and soared through the air, going places far far away.

Fay's face was too pale. His skin felt cold, like a corpse. The ruins started to crumble around him, and Kurogane scooped his friend up, noting with dread how his head lolled backwards and his arms hung limply.

He was just outside the ruins when he saw Touya, exhausted, leaning against a ragged outcropping of stone. "Did you hurt him, Brat?"

He took a heaving, rattling breath, and then slumped over, unconscious. He looked younger in his state of helplessness, and with a pang, Kurogane realized that the fierce, proud king was nothing more than a kid himself, trying to watch over everyone while still growing up.

Yukito ran towards him and, before Kurogane could say anything, he reached a hand up to touch Kurogane's forehead.

"Those feathers were Fay's memories of everything," he intoned sadly. "He'll die without them, but none of them are left in this world anymore."

"What do you mean none of them are left?" Kurogane tightened his grip on Fay, holding the other boy close as if the heat of his anger and fear could seep into Fay's dying body and bring him back.

"If he doesn't have these memories," Yukito reached out to touch Fay's forehead, but seemed to think better of it as Kurogane pulled the prince closer. "He'll die."

"I'll send you to another place, where there is a woman who has powers like mine. She is called the witch of dimensions. Tell her everything and she will help you."

Yukito raised his elaborate staff, and the win cascaded around them, smelling of magic. Kurogane looked down at his friend. Fay's face was white. His light hair was being tossed by the wind, and his vibrant blue eyes were closed as if they'd never been open.

_I will not let you die,_ he promised, before the desert vanished. He closed his eyes and held on tightly, burying his face in Fay's hair.

…………

Sakura bowed before her princess, Tomoyo, her silk kimono rustling around her. "What have you brought me here for, Tomoyo-hime?"

Tomoyo laughed lightly, but Sakura could see the pain in the rigid set of her jaw. "So abrupt Sakura-chan." Her eyes sparkled with fondness and sadness.

"I mean you no disrespect, hime," Sakura returned immediately. She would never mean any disrespect. In the years since her mother and father had been murdered, Tomoyo had been the one to care for her, the one to take her in despite other's complaints, the one to turn her over to Souma, who made her weak body strong. Now she was one of Tomoyo's top ninjas, the pride of the castle, and every step she took she took for only two reasons—to serve Tomoyo and to avenge her parents's deaths.

"Sakura, you have served me a long time, for which I am grateful, but I worry for you. Do you know what you yourself want? Have you ever considered how you will live your life once all of this is finished?"

Tomoyo smiled down at her dear friend. "Sakura, your father threw himself over you so that you could live, and yet I think you have been bound so far into duty that you have forgotten what living really is. Your heart is pained and has forgotten how to love, so in order for you to learn that lesson, I must send you away."

Sakura's head snapped up even as a magical circle appeared around her. "Tomoyo-hime!" She screamed, tears pouring down her face. Her princess smiled at her, and that smile was the last Sakura saw of her homeland. With a bowed head she decided she would do her best to learn her lesson and then she would return to her homeland to serve Tomoyo-hime, no matter what it took.

…………

Syaoran shivered as he climbed out of the freezing water, quickly drying himself up and pulling on his clothes lest the frigid winds turn him blue and black and dead. Chii sat beside him, a confused look on her face.

"I'm sorry Chii, but I must change your form," he told the girl he had created selfishly, long ago.

"Chii is okay with that, and Chii will change her form, because Syaoran is the one who created Chii."

Syaoran touched her cheek one last time before her form rearranged itself into a huge net, one which stretched over the pool of water Syaoran had climbed out of only minutes before. Syaoran's eyes glistened with tears.

"If he wakes, contact me," Syaoran commanded, before turning on his heel and walking away, past the corpses that littered the castle.

In a way, he knew this day would come, the day when he would leave Celes and meet his fellow travelers, and yet, he would have never guessed the circumstances under which his departure would take place.

"Ashura," his heart ached. "I wasn't strong enough to save you. I wasn't strong enough to save anyone. All I can do is let you rest."

Long ago, Fei Wong Reed had told him of a witch, a witch with the power to transport people across dimensions. He knew it was this witch that he must go see.

Without even a second glance at his destroyed homeland, he gathered his magic and willed himself away to a place called Tokyo.

…………

Kurogane's landing was abrupt, and if it hadn't been for his extremely tight grip on Fay, he was sure he might have dropped the other boy. The world he was in was filled with rain, and it pounded down on him and Fay, trailing down Fay's face like tears. The woman in front of him reeked of power, and as his red eyes met hers, he realized that despite the downpour, she was completely dry.

"Woman, are you the witch of dimensions?" The woman, who had previously had a miserable look on her face, smirked.

"I have been called that, though your way of addressing me is rude enough that I should've ignored you."

Kurogane growled, holding Fay out like an offering to a cannibalistic god. "Save him."

Kurogane's red eyes glowed. His face was crinkled into a fierce glare, and his body radiated anger.

"That child, what is his name?" The witch took a few steps forward, resting her long, thin fingers on Fay's forehead.

"Fay," Kurogane growled out like a foul curse.

"And yours?"

"Kurogane," he conceded, resisting the urge to snatch Fay away from her.

"Fay has lost something of great importance to him, and if he doesn't get them back he will die." The witch paused and turned her head.

"Watanuki!"

A tall, gangly boy with dark blue eyes who Kurogane hadn't noticed before nodded. "Y-yes," he stuttered.

"Go to the safe. There's something I need there."

The boy raced off, and The witch turned back to Kurogane. "Do you want to save him?" She asked, as if she already knew the answer.

"Of course. Why the Hell do you think I'm here?" Kurogane growled, shivering from the cold of the rain. Rain happened so rarely in Clow, and Fay loved the crystalline droplets. Whenever it rained Fay would grab Kurogane and force him to dance under the water falling from the sky. Sometimes Fay would open his mouth and catch the droplet on his tongue. Kurogane had always grumbled at him, but now he would do anything, _anything, _to be dancing in the rain with his prince.

"There is a price." The witch eyes narrowed as she observed the boy cradling his friend.

"I don't care. I already told you I want to save him." Kurogane's eyes were determined; energy flowed off him in waves. His heart was beating so hard he was surprised it didn't burst from his chest.

"They're coming," was all she said in return, before the wind swirled wildly and two people appeared, one on each side of Kurogane.

A woman, well muscled but still petite, with bright green eyes, landed to his left. A man with light brown hair and fierce amber eyes stood on his right.

"Who might you be?" the woman asked, while at the same time the man said, "you are the witch of dimensions." They turned and appraised each other, before the man bowed.

"Ladies first," he offered.

"My name is Sakura," she stood and Kurogane noticed a Katana among the folds of silk. "Where are we?" She asked.

"Japan," the woman nodded. Sakura's eyes widened as she looked around, but she said no more.

"You?" The woman asked of the man. Kurogane was beginning to feel angry. Didn't she see Fay dying in his arms?

"I am a magician from Celes. My name is Syaoran." He bowed respectively and kept his eyes averted, as if the Witch was royalty.

Kurogane opened his mouth to say something, but the wizard interrupted him. "We are in a shop that grants wishes…" He trailed off, his jaw tight.

The witch appraised the two newcomers. "What do you wish?"

"To return home!" Sakura answered while at the same time Syaoran said, "to never return home."

The two of them caught each other's eye. Sakura turned away.

"That's a hard wish to grant for…" She paused, "all three of you."

"Only if the three of you pay together can you afford the means to grant your wishes."

"The three of you have the same wish," Yuuko explained. "You," she gestured to Kurogane, "want to go from world to world to collect the feathers. Sakura, you would like to return home to your world, and you, Syaoran, would like to live in a world other than your own. If you each pay me, I can grant your wishes."

Kurogane watched in heart-pounding suspense as the ninja and the magician gave up a sword and tattoo respectively after a bit of arguing. Your most precious thing, he said. He didn't know what he could give up. He had never had many material objects. His most precious thing was probably Fay.

Then the witch turned to him. "Will you give me your most precious thing?" She asked.

Kurogane's jaw tightened. "I already told you yes!"

"Even before I tell you what your precious thing is, you're already—" Kurogane cut her off frustratedly.

"Yes! Stop wasting time!" Fay was so cold in his arms.

The boy from before appeared, holding two animals that looked like meat buns. One was white, the other was black.

"This is Mokona," the witch explained, pointing to the white creature, "mokona will take you to different dimensions."

Kurogane eyes the black one. "Can't you give the other two that one and give me the black one?" He complained.

The which smiled belittlingly. Kurogane had the odd feeling she was enjoying herself, which only made him angrier. "The black one can't travel from world to world," she explained in a patronizing tone. "He can only communicate."

"Mokona can take you to different worlds, but he can't choose where you land. Your journey depends on luck and strength of spirit." Kurogane had plenty of the latter, but none of the former. Fay had plenty of good luck though, at least when it came to cards. After their third game, Kurogane had sworn never to gamble with his friend, especially since they'd been playing strip poker and Kurogane had been down to his undergarments. Fay had been eyeing him like an especially hungry cat. Then of course, Touya had stormed the room, and if it hadn't been for Yukito he would've accused Kurogane of raping his younger brother.

"But there is no coincidence in the world, only hitsuzen. You all were fated to meet and travel with each other."

A wind whipped around the four of them as Mokona's mouth opened. As the world was shifting out of focus, the Wtich spoke to him.

"Kurogane, your price is your relationship with Fay." Kurogane blushed and opened his mouth to deny that there was any relationship between the two of them (though Kurogane wanted there to be one), but the Witch interrupted him.

"No matter how many feathers you collect, even if you collect them all, Fay will never remember you. He is your most important person, so that is your price."

The world faded away and Kurogane was cold and shivering. He could see the first he met Fay, the huge frown on the boy's face, followed by a wide smile and that ridiculous nickname. He could see them climbing over sand dunes, looking for scorpions and snakes and adventure. There was Fay, smiling at him on their shared birthday. There was Fay, leaning his head on Kurogane's shoulder in a rare moment of peace.

Would all that be lost?

He could feel Fay's solid weight in his arms.

It didn't matter, as long as Fay lived.

As Kurogane landed in the new world, his heart wept.


	2. Chapter 2

OK… Just a beginning note. I'm not going to go frame by frame through the manga. This would take FOREVER and a day to write if that were the case. So, I'm going to skip around a bit and just focus on the parts I feel are important. For instance, we all love a little Sorashi in our lives, but it's too tedious to mention every conversation between our group and their hosts, so a lot of it will be brushed by. Hopefully, everybody who is reading this has read the manga, so any holes can be filled in with pre-existing knowledge.

* * *

The sun shone down on the new world like a beacon of hope. Grumbling, Kurogane carefully tried to dry Fay, who was soaked to the bone and colder than nights in the desert. He ran the towel through Fay's hair, unnerved by his closed eyes. If it weren't for the slight purple tinge to his lips, Kurogane would have sworn that Fay was just taking a nap to avoid the heat of the day.

"_Kuro-pon," the two of them were sitting atop one of the many colorful clay roofs that bordered the bazaar, munching on fresh yellow apples. Sticky juice dribbled down Fay's chin, and he wiped it away messily, licking the sour substance off his fingers. Kurogane had merely rolled his eyes and chomped down on his own crisp treat, swishing the sour flavor around in his mouth before swallowing._

_They were ten years old, at that moment in life when each day stretched on into forever._

"_What?" Kurogane grumbled around a mouthful of apple. His father had pushed him out the door that morning, and in to the arms of his annoying 'friend', the blond boy whose smiles just didn't seem quite right._

"_What do you think being grown up feels like?" Fay had turned his face into the sun, and its gleaming light upon his hair made him radiant. Fay didn't seem to know that though, and Kurogane wasn't going to tell him._

"_I dunno," Kurogane shrugged, tossing his apple core somewhere behind him. He thought he heard a few chickens squawk, but that was their problem. "We'll be bigger," he paused, eyeing his shorter companion doubtfully. "Well, I will be," he concluded._

_Fay laughed, swinging his legs energetically over the edge of the roof. "Adults always look so content," he observed. _

_Kurogane didn't agree. Adults almost never smiled, and they were always worrying about taxes and clothing, and other grown-up stuff Kurogane didn't care about._

"_Do you think, when people grow up, all the pain goes away?" Fay's voice was lilting and vulnerable. Kurogane had never heard it that way before, except during the one time when he and Fay had stumbled across the dead desert traveler._

_Kurogane crossed his arms. He didn't like Fay's voice when it sounded like that. He sounded old and crotchety, like the wrinkly man at the edge of the bazaar who shook chicken feet at them and offered to give their fortunes. Well, maybe he didn't sound that old, but he definitely sounded as old as Kurogane's father, and from the white hairs Kurogane sometimes spotted in his hair, that was pretty old!_

"_I think when we grow up, you'll still be an idiot," he responded, sliding off the roof and hopping onto the sandy ground. The tiny pieces of evil puffed up around him, swirling like miniature tornadoes and gathering in his hair. He shook them out roughly._

"_And where will you be, Kuro-sama?" Fay's voice was extremely small. Kurogane could barely hear him. His legs had stopped swinging and merely hung out over the roofs edge._

"_Idiot, I'll be right here," Kurogane answered, pointing at the ground in front of him for emphasis. "Where else would I be?" _

_He caught Fay automatically when he swung himself off the roof, and pretended to not notice when Fay's arms lingered around his neck for a little longer than necessary. _

_Slowly, the sun started to sink behind the reddish-orange clay roof. That day's forever was coming to an end._

"Idiot, I'll be right here," Kurogane whispered, clutching Fay's thin hand.

It was then when he felt a low, pulsing warmth from his thick black travelling cloak. Gently Syaoran, who was clutching a towel in one hand, plucked a light blue feather from Kurogane's cloak. He spun it slowly between his thumb and forefinger delicately, as if it might shatter in an instant. The feather's ethereal glow made it glimmer.

"It must have stuck to you," Syaoran decided, in a low, reverent voice. "Of all the memories that scattered, this one stayed with you. For that, it must be a very important memory."

Kurogane felt two parts thankful and one part suspicious as he grabbed the feather from the other man's clutches. It was warm, as warm as Fay's hand had been the night before, when Kurogane had wrapped it in gauze and blushed at their closeness.

Cautiously, he placed the feather against Fay's chest, waiting for something to happen. The feather sank into his chest slowly, first the center, and then the outwards edges, until Kurogane could no longer see it.

Cautiously, Kurogane touched Fay's arm. It was warm.

"Thanks," Kurogane admitted gruffly.

* * *

Their hosts, a pale woman named Arashi and her goofy husband Sorata, seemed to have been awaiting their arrival. For some reason or another, they owed the Dimensional Witch—or Yuuko, as they had called her—quite a sum, and they'd agreed to give the travelers a place to stay and food to savor. And now they were sitting there rambling on about how great their country was, and how they were so awesome at baseball (a sport Kurogane found dreadfully boring), and blahblahblahblahblah.

"Pay attention kid!" Sorata screamed. Kurogane, caught unaware, suddenly found his head aching awfully, as if someone had just pounded him on the head with a mallet.

"What was that?" Kurogane asked angrily.

"It couldn't have been something that was thrown; the angle was wrong," Sakura's soft, light voice interceded.

"It was just my Kudan," Sorata interrupted, holding his hands in front of his face in an attempt to save himself from the alert and angry Sakura who had lowered her hand to her hip, searching for a weapon.

Rubbing his sore head, Kurogane went back to staring out the window as Sorata's puppet started to explain what a Kudan was. He glanced over at Fay. The quicker they found Fay's feather, the quicker they could leave.

It was nearly 10 p.m. when Sorata finished his little speech, and by then Kurogane had started to count the ceiling tiles, he was so bored. He imagined that if Fay were awake, he'd find the puppets clever and unbearably cute; he'd probably make one for himself, and use it to talk for him.

Kurogane snorted, his eyes darting over to the room where his friend was sleeping.

"Oi! Are you dozing again?" Sorata raised his hand menacingly, and Kurogane covered his head, waiting for the blow. None came. Instead, Sorata stared into the little room in which Fay slept, his face calm and serene.

"Sorry kid. I don't know what I'd do if my Honey was like that. We'll do anything we can to help."

Kurogane nearly blushed at the man's earnest offer, sincerely thinking it over. Despite what Fay liked to say, Kurogane was not a mindless brute with a head full of rocks (though sometime's he'd like to be; it'd make life much easier.) He could think about others once in a while too.

"Do you think you could make some puppets?" Kurogane asked gruffly, staring at the wood paneling lining the walls. It was very traditional.

Sorata opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by the sound of Sakura's quiet, polite voice.

"What will the sleeping arrangements be?" She asked cautiously, a faint blush on her cheeks when she caught Syaoran staring in her direction.

"I'm afraid you'll have to share a room with Syaoran," Sorata noted dolefully. "From what Yuuko told us, I had expected two older males, and didn't prepare a room suited for a young lady. I apologize."

Sakura nodded understandingly, smiling just slightly. "Thank you for the accommodations. I'm sure there will be no trouble."

Kurogane yawned and Sakura, still decked out in her silk attire, smiled, resting a hand on his shoulder. She was actually a couple of inches shorter than Kurogane, but she radiated an immense inner strength—a type of balanced spirit that Kurogane had only ever seen in the Priest of his world and a few of the more powerful visitors in other worlds. Kurogane would not like to meet her on the battle field.

"We should sleep," she said, turning to head up the stairs.

Syaoran held the door open for her, like a true gentleman Kurogane supposed, though he scoffed at the type. Women were just as capable as men and Sakura was obviously a powerful warrior; somehow Syaoran seemed to patronize her. Kurogane didn't like it.

Still, it was really none of his business. It wasn't like Kurogane actually knew the people, or anything.

* * *

As the dimension travelers wearily sought their rooms, Kurogane slipping soundlessly into a futon besides Fay; Syaoran sitting on his bed, resisting the urge to peek as Sakura slipped into nightwear provided by Arashi, he watched.

"I thought it would fail," Fei Wang Reed considered as he watched his four favorite people through the mirror. Xing Huo wordlessly nodded her agreement. "But it seems that hitsuzen is stronger than even Clow Reed's dying wish. Things shall still proceed accordingly. After all," Fei Wong smiled eerily, "all we need are the memories of the body. The means through which they come… Those can be stretched."

* * *

The next morning, Kurogane found himself standing next to his new companion's outside the couple's inn.

"I didn't ask for your help," Kurogane growled, glaring at the two adults.

Syaoran smiled. "What type of people would we be if we ignored a child in need? Besides, helping you doesn't distract from my wish."

Sakura nodded. "My master sent me on a mission; until I find the meaning of her words, returning home would be useless anyway."

Kurogane rolled his eyes. "What about you?" He asked the odd, white meat bun shaped creature resting on Sakura's shoulder.

"I'll help you find the feathers! When I sense one my eyes will go big and wide like this! Mekyo!" Kurogane jumped back in shock as the creature's eyes widened alarmingly. That thing was butt ugly! And its eyes! What kind of creature had eyes like those?

* * *

The City of Hanshin was huge, bigger than anything Kurogane had seen in his travels with his father. The tall buildings seemed to scrape the sky; some disappeared into clouds! The lights shined brightly from every storefront. People bustled around, far too close for Kurogane's liking. If anyone touched him he'd choke them to death.

The bustling town would appeal to Fay, no doubt. The idiot would probably rush into the masses and get lost. The thought reminded him of the weird dream he'd had last night. A gigantic dragon, made completely of water, had come to him and told him that he would be the calm in the chaos that surrounded them.

Kurogane had no idea what that meant. He vaguely realized that the creature was a Kudan, who wanted to bind to him, which meant he would gain more strength to help him save Fay.

"Apples, apples! Would anyone like some apples?" Curiously, Kurogane turned towards the vender, remembering the sticky, sweet-sour treats he and Fay used to devour.

"That's not an apple!" Kurogane insisted, staring at the blood red fruit. "Apples are yellow!"

Syaoran, his eyes wide with wonder, plucked the fruit out of the vendor's hand. "I must admit I've never seen a fruit like this…" He trailed off in wonder. "Shall we buy any?"

He looked towards Sakura, who seemed engrossed in studying the fruit—her eyes lit up in a childish curiosity that made her look years younger.

Syaoran blushed, averting his gaze and muttering under his breath. It wouldn't do to become too closely connected to someone else. He'd already decided that long ago, when he'd made his deal with—

"Buy!!" Mokona demanded, perched on Kurogane's shoulder.

Smiling at the magical creature, Syaoran reached into his pocket and handed the wallet to Kurogane, who begrudgingly picked out the proper amount of change. Gazing around at the foreign signs littering the bright city, Syaoran smiled. He couldn't understand a single word; he imagined it would be quite difficult for one such as himself to settle in a place like this… Even if it did offer more peace than any land before it had.

A light wind ruffled his hair, and he inhaled the air. It tasted different than the air back home did. It was thicker, heavier—a little clogged with dust and not as pleasant and sharp as the winter air of his homeland; however, the magic that flooded the air tasted the same and nearly overwhelmed him with its power.

"So, why is everyone here anyway?" Kurogane asked brusquely, sitting down on the side of a conveniently placed bridge.

"My Princess sent me away," Sakura answered lowly, gazing out at the buildings. She focused her open gaze onto Syaoran, who fidgeted slightly.

"How did you get here?"

"I sent myself," Syaoran responded calmly, willing his heart not to pound quite so heavily in his chest.

"Then you didn't need the witch… You could just travel on your own," Kurogane grumbled, watching the man curiously.

Syaoran smiled, his eyes becoming curiously blank when he spoke next. "The Dimensional Witch has a very special power. Even someone as magically powerful as me can only transport between dimensions once."

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but a sudden explosion from one of the busier sectors of the city interrupted her.

"What the Hell was that?" Kurogane shouted over the screams of the residence.

The three—four if Mokona were to be included—of them scrambled through the crowd, Kurogane pushing people roughly out of the way as Syaoran and Sakura, slightly more politely weaved through the crowd of people.

Finally they reached what seemed to be the epicenter of the explosion. It looked like it had originally been a Kudan fight, but something had gone terribly wrong. In the middle of it all, two small children lay huddled together, terrified.

"Are you all right?" Sakura called out to them, her quick, nimble steps leading her closer to the two.

Just as she approached them, one of the children glowed eerily, and before Syaoran even had a chance to scream, the second child clapped its hands together, and a wave of heat raced towards Sakura.

* * *

"Damn Clow Reed," Fei Wang Reed muttered as his mirror showed him the devastation reaked upon Hanshin. This was supposed to be one of the safer worlds, but something had gone horribly, horribly wrong; something that not even he had foreseen.

It seemed Fai's memories were going to be a bit more… Volatile than anyone had predicted.


End file.
